LONDON — Boris Johnson pulled out of the contest to lead the U.K.’s ruling Conservative Party, leaving Rishi Sunak on the brink of becoming the next prime minister.
Johnson, who left office last month after a series of scandals rocked his premiership, said returning to No. 10 Downing Street “would simply not be the right thing to do” because of the chances it would divide the party.
“You can’t govern effectively unless you have a united party in Parliament,” Johnson wrote in a statement on Sunday. “The best thing I can do is not allow my nomination to go forward.”
